Fort Dix safety director heads down retirement highway

FORT DIX -- After 44-years of working and flying for the government, Leo Falanga, aviator turned safety director, was last reported seen on his motorcycle shortly after leaving Army Support Activity-Dix, June 30, and heading down the road of retirement.

Falanga, who first served in the Air Force with duty in Vietnam then later become an Army rotary and fixed wing aviator serving in Desert Storm, had also returned to active duty one more time under the Army’s Retiree Recall Program to fly fixed wing aircraft in Korea and Willow Grove before hanging up his combat boots for the last time.

“Some might say I’ve been three times the civilian – Soldier,” he joked before leaving the ASA last week.

While always known for his light-hearted joking manner, Falanga was serious when it came to safety. Of course, he added, flying and safety are an integral part of training. After two recent motorcycle accidents on Dix, several motorcycle riders even called or e-mailed him looking for tips on how to avoid such tragedies.

“When a fatality occurs, all games stop. There is no joy. You investigate the sequence of events up to when the accident occurred. You are not trying to point the finger at anyone, but somewhere in the sequence of events something went wrong. There may be multiple reasons. So when it is all figured out you fix it,” Falanga said. “Many people believe safety is a pretty painting that will cover a hole in the wall. What I always wanted to do is fix that hole with safety.”

In combat, personnel look differently at safety. There is always an unknown risk and the fact is there are acceptable losses. But in training, there are no acceptable losses. You take all the risks and you mitigate them to train in a safe environment, he added.

Falanga, who was born in Boston and grew up outside of Logan Airport, said his interest in flying began when he and his friends would sneak into the airport climb into the cockpits of such aircraft as Constellations.

Falanga, after Air Force technical school, was first assigned to the 479th Tactical Fighter Wing, George Air Force Base, Calif. By April, 1965, he deployed to Kun Kwan Air Base, Taiwan, then was moved forward to Da Nang Air Base, Vietnam, where he performed aircraft maintenance on the 476th Tactical Fighter Squadron’s F-104 Starfighters that flew to protect bomber aircraft from attacks by North Vietnamese fighters.

Later that year, he transferred to Hahn Air Base, Germany, where he worked on F-102 Delta Daggers. After being discharged from the Air Force, Falanga joked he did all kinds of jobs from running a restaurant to marine salvage. About four years later, he joined the Army and attended rotary wing flight school, Class 74-11, at Fort Rucker, Al., before being assigned a scout pilot with B Troop 1-17 Cav of the 82nd Airborne Division. Two years later, he returned to Fort Rucker to be trained and certified as a fixed wing pilot. After flight school, Falanga travelled to the Land of the Morning Clam, Korea, and was assigned a fixed wing pilot at K-16 Airfield, collocated with Seoul International Airport. He was further assigned to the scout platoon as an OH-58 Kiowa maintenance officer test pilot. After completing, his warrant officer advanced course, Falanga was then assigned to Readiness Region 8, Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center, Colorado, as a fixed wing pilot and safety officer.

Three years later, he was back overseas at U.S. Army Field Station, Sinop Turkey as a fixed wing pilot and safety officer. He completed three tours of duty in Turkey, and the last one was in support of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm as a fixed wing and rotary pilot and safety officer. At that time, he experienced a family reunion.

“I got the chance to be reunited with my son Leo Jr. when he was serving in the Army.” he said. Falanga has two other grown sons, Neil, a Navy veteran, and Alex, who all live in Maryland. He also has two grand children.

In between his assignments to Turkey, he was assigned to Davidson Army Airfield, near Fort Meade, Md. But before Desert Storm, he flew at the Home of the Ultimate Weapon, Fort Dix, as a pilot and safety officer in 87 for about three years.

In July 1991, he retired from the Army and became a civilian pilot and safety officer at Fort Dix. Six years later, Falanga and fellow pilot Brian “Bucky” Roach, flew off in October, 1997 with the installations last assigned Huey helicopter. Falanga then became the installation’s safety director.

Falanga said being at Fort Dix was a great assignment. There were plenty of various different missions. One day, Falanga could be flying Gen. Colin Powell or other dignitaries and on the next flying water bucket missions to extinguish a forest fire.

So for the Burlington County man who landed a C-12 aircraft safely in a 50-knot cross wind or through a thunderstorm, there had to be one highlight of his career.

“The highlight of my career? It was my career,” he said.http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=52601 <http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&amp;id=52601>